Compaction loading apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for loading and compacting material in a receptacle includes a ram moving in a rectilinear path and means for lifting the work as the ram moves into engagement with it, consisting of a rigid lifting member formed as a relatively flat rectangular frame pivoted to the front of the ram on a transverse horizontal axis and swingable upwardly from an initial lowered position in which it inclines upwardly at a relatively small angle to a raised position to which it is urged by a resolution of the reactive forces between the ram and the work.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Robert J. Pioch Jackson, Mich. {21] Appl. No. 796,059 [22] Filed Feb. 3, 1969 [45] Patented Sept. 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Kysor Industrial Corporation Cadillac, Mich.

[S4] COMPACTION LOADING APPARATUS 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 100/229, 10012.95 [51] Int. Cl B30b 15/06 [50] Field of Search 100/229, 240, 245, 295, 179, 142, 189; 214/833, 503

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,865,286 12/1958 Newell 100/295 3,039,383 6/1962 Windle et a1 100/295 X FOREIGN PATENTS 30,009 12/1910 Sweden Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite Attorney-Price, Heneveld, Huizenga & Cooper ABSTRACT: Apparatus for loading and compacting material in a receptacle includes a ram moving in a rectilinear path and means for lifting the work as the ram moves into engagement with it, consisting of a rigid lifting member formed as a relatively flat rectangular frame pivoted to the front of the ram on a transverse horizontal axis and swingable upwardly from an initial lowered position in which it inclines upwardly at a relatively small angle to a raised position to which it is urged by a resolution of the reactive forces between the ram and the work.

COMPACTION LOADING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Apparatus for loading and pressurizing waste material into transportable receptacles for rubbish disposal and the like commonly includes compacting means comprising a blade or ram which forces material into the receptacle through a charging opening located near the bottom of the receptacle in an end or sidewall. In order to achieve maximum useful loading of the receptacle it is necessary for the material to move upwardly inside the receptacle, despite the fact that the packer blade or ram must move inwardly through the charging opening in a generally horizontal direction. Various relatively complicated devices and modified packer blade motions have been proposed and utilized in an effort to exert sufficient upward movement on the material within the container to achieve full loading at maximum compression. With large vehicle-body-type receptacles the problem of achieving full compacted loading of upper portions of the receptacle is not normally severe, but with smaller sizes of cubic yards or less proper filling of the upper parts has been difficult and is not normally attained with most waste materials.

The primary object of the present invention may be summarized as the provision of improved means of extremely simple rugged and reliable character for urging the load upwardly as it is rammed into such a container.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent upon consideration of the present disclosure in its entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF DRAWING FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevational view of portions of a ram and receptacle illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the ram and lifter;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the lifter and portions of the load engaged thereby elevated; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the lifter and a portion of the face of the ram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED FORM OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawing, reference character 10 designates generally the ram portion of a stationary compactor constructed and operated in accordance with the teachings of my issued U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,250,414, 3,289,572 and 3,403,620, and which is operative to inject and compact waste material into a receptacle 12 through a charging opening 14 located at the bottom of an end wall 15 of the receptacle. The ram travels in a slightly inclined path so that it moves upwardly as it enters the receptacle.

In operation material to be loaded into the receptacle is dropped in front of the ram 10, after which the ram is powered forwardly through the opening 14, and for a substantial distance into the receptacle, under heavy pressure, so that the contents of the receptacle are compacted and urged together to minimize its volume and increase the capacity of the receptacle.

Since as a practical matter the charging opening must be at or near the bottom, efficient compacted loading requires that the contents be urged upwardly inside the receptacle. To the extent that the mass of material has fluidic characteristics the distribution of forces within it will of course drive part of it upwardly, but with many types of loads neither such distribution of forces not the use of an inclined path of ram travel is sufficient to properly fill upper parts of the receptacle.

In my improved construction, an automatic mechanical lift: ing device is provided which is actuated by a resolution of the reactive forces between the ram- 10 and material (W) inside the receptacle. The lifter comprises a rigid rectangular steel frame pivoted to the lower front portion of the ram upon a transverse horizontal axis, engageable with the. material which, is to be compacted, and' swingable upwardly to raise such material as the ram moves inwardly during the exertion of compacting force upon the material.

The lifter frame 20 comprises side arms 21, 22 of L-scction welded at the inner ends to a heavy steel tube 28 and at their outer ends to a heavy steel lifting plate crossmember 30. Tube 28 is pivoted by bearing bushings 29 on a pintle bar 24 fixed and parallel to the lower front corner of the ram 10 by means of steel blocks 25 welded to an angle iron support 26 rigidly attached to the front face of the ram. The space bounded by the arms 21, 22, tube 28 and plate 30 is open. Sidearms 21, 22 are formed of heavy gauge angle iron having a bottom outer flange extending perpendicularly to the axis of pintle 24 and coplanar top flanges united at the outer ends by the lifting plate 30. The forward outer ends of the plate 30 and of the side arms 21, 22 are contoured to provide a plurality of blunt points. The tube 28 substantially fills the space between the side blocks 25 and between the flanges of angle bar 26.

A heavy steel double-bent bracket 33 is attached to a mid portion of the face of the ram. A chain 35 is attached at one end to the bracket 33 and at the other end to the lifter plate and limits downward swinging movement of the lifter to a lowered forwardly projecting position, to which it tends to return by gravity, wherein it inclines upwardly at approximately 20 from the path of travel of the ram, as shown in FIG. I. The upward movement of the lifter is limited to a position close to the ram but of sufficient forward inclination so that gravity is effective to lower it.

In normal operation the lifter will remain in the lowered position unless and until it strikes material which substantially resists inward movement of the ram. Upon encountering such resistance, however, the angle 40 between the lifter arms and the ram path represented by line 42creates a force component designated by the arrow 44 urging the lifter upwardly around the pivot pin 24. Due to the interengagement between the front of the lifter and the material, material which is engaged, together with material which is overlapped, tangled and/or sufficiently frictionally associated with material directly touched by the lifter, is raised as the lifter swings in an upward direction in response to component 44. Due to the nature of most waste material and the conglomerate nature and existence of intertwined and connected material, a substantial volume is normally lifted upwardly by such action, upon each inward movement of the ram, after or commencing as soon as the receptacle contains a substantial mass of material engageable by the lifter.

It is not necessary that the lifter occupy a substantial proportion of the width of the ram. In a successful embodiment constructed as herein disclosed, the width of the ram is approximately 60 inches, the height of the ram is 24 inches, the width of the lifter is 10 inches and the length of the lifter from the hinge axis to the outer end is 14 inches.

An automatic lifting device constructed and operated as herein disclosed has been found particularly useful where the receptacles to be loaded are relatively small (e.g., ten cubic yards). It has been found that use of this automatic lifting device enables loading approximately 20 percent more miscellaneous household trash into receptacles of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. 3,387,878 than is possible under conditions which are the same except that the lifting device is omitted.

This Detailed Description of Preferred Form of the Invention, and the accompanying drawings, have been furnished in compliance with the statutory requirement to set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the invention. The prior portions consisting of the Abstract of the Disclosure and the Background of the Invention are furnished without prejudice in an effort to comply with administrative requirements of the U.S. Patent Office.

What is claimed is:

1. In compaction loading apparatus including a packing member and means for guiding the packing member in a predetermined path inwardly into a receptacle to compact -material in the receptacle, the novelty which comprises a lifter member, the front portion of said lifter being movable upwardly and rearwardly with relation to the packing member by and in response to a resolved component of reactive forces between the packing member and material engaged thereby during such inward movement.

2. ln compaction loading apparatus including a packing member and means for guiding the packing member in a predetermined path into a receptacle to compact material in the receptacle, the novelty which comprises a swingable lifter pivoted to a lower portion of said packing member on a substantially horizontal axis transverse to said path, and means limiting downward swinging movement of said lifter to a position in which it projects forwardly from said packing member at an upward angle from said path.

3. Apparatus as defined in Claim 2 of the type wherein the packing member is a ram movable in a rectilinear path and wherein the novelty includes such a lifter having a pair of laterally spaced rigid side arms pivoted at their inner ends to the ram and a cross member rigidly connecting the outer ends of said arms.

4. Apparatus as defined in Claim 2 of the type wherein the packing member is a ram movable in a rectilinear path and wherein the novelty includes such a lifter having a pair of laterally spaced rigid side arms pivoted at their inner ends to the ram, and means limiting upward swinging movement of the lifter to a position at a greater angle to said path but extending forwardly from the packing member and from the vertical, whereby the packing member is urged downwardly by gravity but may be urged upwardly by a component resolved from the reaction of material counter to the direction of inward ram travel and the angle between the lifter and said path. 

1. In compaction loading apparatus including a packing member and means for guiding the packing member in a predetermined path inwardly into a receptacle to compact material in the receptacle, the novelty which comprises a lifter articulated to and extending forwardly from the packing member, the front portion of said lifter being movable upwardly and rearwardly with relation to the packing member by and in response to a resolved component of reactive forces between the packing member and material engaged thereby during such inward movement.
 2. In compaction loading apparatus including a packing member and means for guiding the packing member in a predetermined path into a receptacle to compact material in the receptacle, the novelty which comprises a swingable lifter pivoted to a lower portion of said packing member on a substantially horizontal axis transverse to said path, and means limiting downward swinging movement of said lifter to a position in which it projects forwardly from said packing member at an upward angle from said path.
 3. Apparatus as defined in Claim 2 of the type wherein the packing member is a ram movable in a rectilinear path and wherein the novelty includes such a lifter having a pair of laterally spaced rigid side arms pivoted at their inner ends to the ram and a cross member rigidly connecting the outer ends of said arms.
 4. Apparatus as defined in Claim 2 of the type wherein the packing member is a ram movable in a rectilinear path and wherein the novelty includes such a lifter having a pair of laterally spaced rigid side arms pivoted at their inner ends to the ram, and means limiting upward swinging movement of the lifter to a position at a greater angle to said path but extending forwardly from the packing member and from the vertical, whereby the packing member is urged downwardly by gravity but may be urged upwardly by a component resolved from the reaction of material counter to the direction of inward ram travel and the angle between the lifter and said path. 